[ZDP] FAQ Tool Working Group

Martijn Faassen M.Faassen@vet.uu.nl
Tue, 09 Mar 1999 13:14:29 +0100


Hi there,

My intention is to start a FAQ tool working group; several of you seemed
to be busy with FAQ tools and it'd of course be very useful to have. I
will help, of course. At the very least I'll have requirements. :)

This list seems to be the right place to discuss the development of such
a tool; although the tougher development questions may belong on
Zope-dev (the answers in turn belong again on ZDP so I can include them
in the FAQ :).

So, any volunteers? If there are any, follow up to this post and start a
thread. 

Some things that would be nice:

* Easy uploading of Structured Text formatted questions and answers.

* Lots of different output formats; Structured Text and HTML perhaps
initially, later on Docbook SGML or possibly a FAQ SGML format about
there was some discussion, as well. The SGML can then be translated into
lots of stuff. Easy downloads of all these outputs.

* Multiple sections

* Ability to move question/answer pairs from one section to another.
Also possibly the ability to hyperlink (does a question involving how to
call External Methods from DTML belong in the DTML section or the
External Methods section? Both, it would seem, so put it in one section
and hyperlink from the other).

* A comment system; people can add comments to existing FAQs. The editor
can then later choose to include some of these comments into the FAQ
text itself.

* A 'contributor's section in which random individuals can upload new
questions, and questions with answers. The editor can then later move
these to appropriate sections and edit them for inclusion in the list.
Alternatively each section has a contributor's department.

* Versioning system. At the very least timestamp each question and
answer with the last edit date; possibly store older versions of
question/answer pairs. Ability for users to see all FAQs that were
recently updated, or that are new (in a particular section?).

Regards,

Martijn